Written questions by Dance.

What his Department's timetable is for completing its annual business planning process.

Awaiting answer.

What steps he is taking to help tackle barriers faced by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in taking on apprentices in Yeovil constituency.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy and (b) sustainability of funding for specialist adult education services supporting deaf learners.

Awaiting answer.

What steps he is taking to ensure better understanding amongst Personal Independent Payment assessors of how much Cystic fibrosis symptoms can vary.

The department is committed to ensuring that individuals with cystic fibrosis receive high-quality and accurate Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments. All health professionals (HPs) carrying out PIP assessments receive comprehensive training in disability analysis, with a clear focus on understanding the functional effects of a claimant’s condition rather than the diagnosis itself.To support this approach, the department provides assessment suppliers with core training and guidance materials on the varying symptoms of cystic fibrosis. These materials include clinical background information and detail the potential functional impacts of the condition, enabling HPs to deliver informed, consistent and accurate assessments.In addition, all training and guidance materials are currently subject to a comprehensive review and update programme. A dedicated team is overseeing this work to ensure alignment with national best practice helping to ensure that guidance remains accurate, relevant and up to date.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact on Yeovil constituency of the Construction Industry Training Board's decision to cease funding local and regional construction training groups.

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has reformed its approach to employer support by replacing Training Groups with Employer Networks, which the CITB has assessed as a more accessible, responsive and cost-effective model. Employers who are within scope of CITB’s industry levy can continue to access CITB funded support for their skills needs through their local Employer Network. This includes direct adviser support, funding contributions for skills training, and locally determined training aligned to employer need. Employers who are not currently participating in an Employer Network can continue to engage directly with CITB for information, advice and guidance, and may choose to join or establish a Network in future where there is sufficient employer interest.

What steps he is taking to reduce rates of child poverty in working families in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

The latest statistics for 2024/25 show that over seven in ten children in poverty are in working families. ‘Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty’, published in December 2025, sets out Government’s commitment to tackling child poverty, including in working households. Measures include the removal of the two child limit in Universal Credit, which will lift 450,000 children out of poverty. Alongside other measures set out in the Strategy, including extending Free School Meals to all children in households in receipt of Universal Credit, will reduce child poverty by 550,000 in the final year of this Parliament, the largest reduction over a Parliament since comparable records began. This comes alongside raising the National Living Wage to £12.71 an hour to boost the pay of 2.4 million workers, tripling our investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million and investing £39 billion in social and affordable housing. Providing the right employment support can help parents progress in work. That is why the UK Government is driving forward labour market interventions that will deliver a step-change in support and help parents to enter and progress in work. Since September 2025, eligible working parents of children from 9 months old living in England have been able to access 30 hours of Government-funded childcare. Working parents on Universal Credit can receive 85% of childcare costs and 100% of any upfront costs and, we announced that childcare support through Universal Credit would be extended to help with the childcare costs for all children, rather than being capped at two.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to Skills Bootcamp funding on the ability of the scheme to adapt to market and employer needs in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 February 2026 to Question UIN 113868.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing additional funding for leadership and management apprenticeships in Yeovil constituency.

The government is transforming the apprenticeships levy into a new growth and skills levy. This will deliver greater flexibility to employers, more opportunities for young people and support the industrial strategy across the country, including in the Yeovil constituency. Over the past decade we’ve seen apprenticeship starts by those aged 16-24 fall by 40%. This Government wants to reverse that decline and support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships. We are therefore reviewing the existing apprenticeship offer, which has grown to more than 700 standards, an outlier by international standards, to ensure it better supports young people starting their careers. From September 2026, we will withdraw funding from 16 existing apprenticeship standards. Three of these are generic leadership and management apprenticeships, which have grown significantly but are predominantly used as continuing professional development for established staff aged 25 and over. Nearly 90% of apprentices on these leadership and management standards were over 25 (compared to 50% across the programme as a whole); and 83% were long-term employees (compared to 43% across the programme as whole – which is a 10-year high). These changes will create headroom to invest in opportunities for young people and new apprenticeship units and ensure more of our finite investment is targeted on national skills priorities. Employers who value these apprenticeship standards can continue to use them on a privately funded basis.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of basing Skills Bootcamp Wave 7 funding allocations on historic delivery data from 2024-25.

We are giving local areas greater control of the delivery of Skills Bootcamps in line with our commitment to devolution; supporting areas to use Skills Bootcamps to more closely meet the needs of their local employers and economies. As part of this, a new funding model for local areas from 2026-27 will ensure the distribution of funding remains fit for purpose and sustainable as the programme matures. Under devolution, local areas are the commissioners of Skills Bootcamps and can plan provision according to local skills priorities. They are responsible for decisions relating to the allocation of funding to individual providers in line with their preferred commissioning method. We will continue to work with local areas on the implementation of the new funding methodology.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of projected funding allocations for Skills Bootcamps in Wave 7.

We are giving local areas greater control of the delivery of Skills Bootcamps in line with our commitment to devolution; supporting areas to use Skills Bootcamps to more closely meet the needs of their local employers and economies. As part of this, a new funding model for local areas from 2026-27 will ensure the distribution of funding remains fit for purpose and sustainable as the programme matures. Under devolution, local areas are the commissioners of Skills Bootcamps and can plan provision according to local skills priorities. They are responsible for decisions relating to the allocation of funding to individual providers in line with their preferred commissioning method. We will continue to work with local areas on the implementation of the new funding methodology.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to the funding allocation model of Skills Bootcamp in Wave 7 on providers' ability to maintain services.

We are giving local areas greater control of the delivery of Skills Bootcamps in line with our commitment to devolution; supporting areas to use Skills Bootcamps to more closely meet the needs of their local employers and economies. As part of this, a new funding model for local areas from 2026-27 will ensure the distribution of funding remains fit for purpose and sustainable as the programme matures. Under devolution, local areas are the commissioners of Skills Bootcamps and can plan provision according to local skills priorities. They are responsible for decisions relating to the allocation of funding to individual providers in line with their preferred commissioning method. We will continue to work with local areas on the implementation of the new funding methodology.

What steps he is taking to ensure (a) Yeovil College and (b) other Somerset providers do not face reductions in their Skills Bootcamp budgets for the 2026-2027 financial year.

We are giving local areas greater control of the delivery of Skills Bootcamps in line with our commitment to devolution; supporting areas to use Skills Bootcamps to more closely meet the needs of their local employers and economies. As part of this, we will introduce a new funding model for local areas from 2026-27 to ensure the distribution of funding remains fit for purpose and is sustainable as the programme matures. Under devolution, local areas are the commissioners of Skills Bootcamps and can plan provision according to local skills priorities. They are responsible for decisions relating to the allocation of funding to individual providers, including Yeovil College and other providers in Somerset, in line with their preferred commissioning method.

If he will make an assessment of trends in the level of administrative errors made by social housing providers when a resident transitions from Housing Credit to Universal Credit.

The verification process to assure that the correct housing amount is included in the Universal Credit Award provides opportunities for claimants to challenge the amount, should they disagree with the amount verified as correct by their Landlord/Housing Provider. This amount also features on their monthly award statement so continues to be transparent.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the discontinuation of the Skills Bootcamps programme on (a) AI and (b) automation training in Somerset for 2026-27 financial year.

The Skills Bootcamp programme has not been discontinued. We continue to support the delivery of Skills Bootcamps, in order to benefit more adults, employers, and the economy, and funding remains available for Skills Bootcamps in Somerset in the 2026-27 financial year. We are giving local areas greater control of the delivery of Skills Bootcamps in line with our commitment to devolution, supporting areas to use Skills Bootcamps to more closely meet the needs of their local employers and economy. A new funding model for local areas from 2026-27 will ensure the distribution of funding remains fit for purpose and sustainable as the programme matures.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the discontinuation of the Skills Bootcamps programme on (a) upskilling and (b) retraining individuals in Somerset for 2026-27 financial year.

The Skills Bootcamp programme has not been discontinued. We continue to support the delivery of Skills Bootcamps, in order to benefit more adults, employers, and the economy, and funding remains available for Skills Bootcamps in Somerset in the 2026-27 financial year. We are giving local areas greater control of the delivery of Skills Bootcamps in line with our commitment to devolution, supporting areas to use Skills Bootcamps to more closely meet the needs of their local employers and economy. A new funding model for local areas from 2026-27 will ensure the distribution of funding remains fit for purpose and sustainable as the programme matures.

What steps he is taking to support people living with (a) arthritis and (b) other musculoskeletal conditions to (i) return to and (ii) enter into work in Yeovil constituency.

Just under 18 million people in England were estimated to be affected by musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions in 2023 and improving their health and work outcomes will help deliver this government's mission to kickstart economic growth. MSK problems were one of the leading causes of sickness absence in the UK in 2024. Early detection and prevention, including increasing access to employment advice, can support people with MSK conditions getting into and remaining in work. The Government is committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including arthritis and MSK conditions, with their employment journey. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well Connect to Work and WorkWell. In Yeovil, there are various support services available for individuals with arthritis and musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. For example, the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust provides MSK physiotherapy services, the Orthopaedic Assessment Service in Somerset offers specialist opinions for ongoing MSK problems that haven't been resolved by a GP or physiotherapist and Yeovil Hospital Rheumatology Department has a dedicated multi-disciplinary team, including doctors, specialist nurses, and physiotherapists, for the diagnosis and long-term management of inflammatory arthritis, connective tissue diseases, and osteoporosis.

What steps he is taken to reduce the waiting times for a decision on Access to Work claims from Yeovil constituency.

We are committed to reducing waiting times for Access to Work. We have increased the number of staff processing Access to Work claims by 27% and applications from customers who are about to start a job or who are renewing are prioritised. The Pathways to Work Green Paper launched a consultation on the future of Access to Work which has now concluded. Following over 47,500 responses from individuals, charities and other stakeholders, as well as 18 consultation events, we published our summary of the responses to the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation on 30 October 2025.

What steps he is taking to improve local job opportunities for people in Yeovil constituency.

Through our Get Britain Working Strategy, we are reforming employment, health, and skills support to tackle economic inactivity, support people into good work, and create an inclusive, thriving labour market. This means recognising that no local labour market looks the same and our approach should be based on the unique needs of local communities and employers. Regional DWP representatives worked with local government, NHS and wider stakeholders to develop and publish the Get Somerset Working plan, ensuring organisations maximise employment opportunities for citizens locally. They will continue to work with stakeholders as they implement the plan to support more people into good work across Somerset Additionally, Somerset Council is working with DWP to finalise their delivery plan for the Connect to Work programme across Somerset. Connect to Work is a voluntary, locally commissioned, Supported Employment programme for disabled people and people with health conditions, to find and sustain employment. The service is expected to open to participants in Somerset at the start of April 2026. In Yeovil, our Jobcentre Employer and Partnership Teams also work with a range of employers and partners to enhance the skills and employment support available locally. For example, working with the NHS and Care South to promote care work at jobs fairs and collaborating with Angard, Royal Mail’s recruitment partner, to supply staff throughout the year, including seasonal employment. Furthermore, through partnerships with the Salvation Army and Somerset County Council, we are delivering tailored employment support to local jobseekers.

What steps she is taking to help reduce waiting times for referrals to the Pensions Ombudsman for people in Yeovil constituency.

The Pension Ombudsman (TPO) has been experiencing over several years a significant increase in customers complaining about their pensions or schemes and this trend is continuing. This has impacted on waiting times. TPO does not hold specific information on referrals received from people in the Yeovil constituency. DWP has allocated additional funding to TPO to reduce waiting times. TPO has also implemented an Operating Model Review (OMR) programme to improve the efficiency of its operations. This is beginning to have a positive impact on waiting times.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of recent trends in the number of referrals to the Pensions Ombudsman in Yeovil constituency.

There has been no direct assessment of the potential implications for policies of recent trends in the number of referrals to the Pensions Ombudsman (TPO) in the Yeovil constituency. The implications of trends in referrals to TPO more widely are kept under review and taken into consideration when agreeing TPO annual resource requirements.